Composition / Avant-Garde

A selection of compositions for choir spanning from 1904 to 1982 by the two Hungarian masters, performed by the DR Vokalensemblet conducted by Marcus Creed and released by OUR Recordings on CD-only in 2022.

Three compositions from the early 1960's, respectively for for choir and orchestra, orchestra, and string quartet, by the eminent Polish composer, released on Wergo's great Studio Reihe Neuer Musik avat-garde music series in the early 1970's.

Late 1970's re-issue on Erato of the 1969 album with the first recordings of the composer's powerful compositions for orchestra (and choir) from the 1950's and 60's, performed by Ensemble Ars Nova conducted by Marius Constant.

Late 1970's re-issue on Erato of the 1970 album with the first recording of the 1966 avant-garde opera by Ensemble Ars Nova conducted by Marius Constant.

1990 CD-only album re-issue on Salabert with a 1987 live recording of an extended version of the 1966 avant-garde opera.

2010 first volume of Stradivarius' CD-only "Milano Musica" series with live recordings from the festival, here Quartetto Danel performs avant-garde compositions for string quartet by important contemporary composers.

Very rare massive 5LP box set on EMI/Odeon from 1973 documenting Athens' live avant-garde music festivals from 1966 to 1971 with spectacular experimental music for orchestra, ensemble or tape/electronics by the most prominent Greek composers of that period. Unvaluable document never re-issued on either vinyl or CD. No inserts (photocopies of the English translations are included).

Re-press of the first LP from 1973 box set documenting Athens' live avant-garde music festivals from 1966 to 1971, with spectacular experimental music for orchestra by some of the most prominent Greek composers of that period. Never re-issued on either vinyl or CD. No insert (a photocopy of the English translation is included).

First 1965 edition on Columbia's "Japanese Contemporary Music Series" of the Japan-only album with three masterpieces for orchestra of Japanese avent-garde music from the early 1960's, performed by the NHK Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hiroyuki Iwaki. With booklet and original innersleeve.

Sole edition of the Japan-only 1984 2LP set on Camerarta presenting compositions for orchestra with soloist or chorus by eminent Japanese composers premiered at the "Minshu Ongaku" festival performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Tadaaki Otaka. With insert and obi.

Works by Henning Christiansen for recorder, tenor flute, piano, tuba and bassoon, played by Michala Petri, Christoffer Møller and Jakob Munk at Klanghallen 44MØEN in 2023. Edition of 100 CDs.

Enno Poppe's Körper (2021) for big-band ensemble, played by Ensemble Modern under the composer, and Gold for mixed choir a cappella on texts by Arno Holz, sung by the SWR Vokalensemble under Marcus Creed.

Percussion works by Péter Eötvös, Vinko Globokar, Sara Glojnarić, Dai Fujikura, Ursula Mamlok, Toshio Hosokawa and Uroš Rojko, played by Leonie Klein solo and with Isao Nakamura as ISANIE Percussion Duo. Co-production with SWR2, mostly first recordings.

First recordings of Enno Poppe's Fleisch for tenor saxophone, electric guitar, keyboard and drumset, played by Ensemble Nikel, and Prozession for large ensemble (2015-2020), played by Ensemble Musikfabrik conducted by the composer.

Four contemporary saxophone concertos by Péter Eötvös, Georg Friedrich Haas, Vykintas Baltakas and Johannes Maria Staud, all premiered by soloist Marcus Weiss, with the WDR Sinfonieorchester, Teodoro Anzellotti and Windkraft Tirol. A WDR production.

Four works written for Trio Accanto by Beat Furrer, Brice Pauset, Misato Mochizuki and Rebecca Saunders, recorded in 2024 by Marcus Weiss, Nicolas Hodges and Christian Dierstein, a WDR production.

Big tip! K&L for KL and BLK+LND bring together two of Phill Niblock's final compositions, conceived by Niblock as companion works and intended to travel together. Released by Sub Rosa, the record preserves a pairing that Niblock himself wanted heard as a whole. In 2022, Niblock asked bass clarinetists Katie Porter, based in New York, and Lucio Capece, based in Berlin, to record K&L for KL, a work for two bass clarinets and electronic playback. Porter and Capece perform together as Phase to Phase…

1980 re-issue as a single LP on Harmonia Mundi's distinctively packaged "Musique d'abord" series of the seminal first album of music by Cage with his landmark 1946-48 compositions performed by Maro Ajemian, originally released in 1951 as a double LP set on Dial. French text.

Original 1976 LP on Denon with Cage's landmark 1946-48 compositions for prepared piano superbly performed by Yuji Takahashi in 1975. With insert.

1997 CD re-issue on Fylkingen of Yuji Takahashi's landmark performance of Cage's prepared piano masterwork recorded in 1965 and originally released on the same label as two separate LP's in 1966.

17th album on Cramps' superlative "Nova musicha" experimental music series released in 1977, with piano pieces performed by the composer himself recorded live in 1976.

1977 LP on ALM with three piano pieces spanning from 1938 to 1969, plus a toccata by Johann Sebastian Bach, superbly performed by Yuji Takahashi.

1978 double LP set on the obscure Italian label I Dischi Dell'Ippopotamo with a landmark performance of Cage's composition by pianist extraordinnaire Bruno Canino, never re-issued on either CD or LP.

Very Pieces for (prepared) piano, percussion and voice in various combinations from the 1940's and 50's, performed by Joshua Pierce and the Paul Price Percussion Ensemble, released by Tomato in 1978.compositions from the 1940's for (prepared) piano, piano and violin, percussion, performed by pianist Reinbert de Leeuw and released by Philips in 1980, never re-issued on either LP or CD.

1981 LP on CP² Recordings with two compositions respectively from 1978 and 1969 performed on the violin Paul Zukofsky.

1983 LP on CP² Recordings with the demanding late 1970's studies for solo violin performed by by their dedicatee Paul Zukofsky.

1984 LP on CP² Recordings with the 1951 composition for Merce Cunningham performed by Toronto's New Music Concerts conducted by Paul Zukofsky.

Very early compositions from the 1940's for (prepared) piano, piano and violin, percussion, performed by pianist Reinbert de Leeuw and released by Philips in 1980, never re-issued on either LP or CD.

Live 1983 recordings from the Cornish Institute in Seattle of John Cage's Atlas Eclipticalis performed simultaneously with Winter Music, conducted by the composer. Originally released by Mode Records in 1986 as a 4LP box.

1987 LP on Hungaroton matching a 1981 compositions for five orchestras performed by Savaria Symphony Orchestra led by Peter Eötvös with a set of indeterminate solo piano pices from the 1950's performed by several Hungarian composers including László Sáry and Zoltán Jeney.

The important 1951 Concerto with Cage's first foray in chance operations conducted by Lukas Foss with pianist Yuji Takahashi, backed by the conductor's charming baroque piece for orchestra, released by Nonesuch in 1968.

Cage's beautiful and unusual 1950 string quartet in a monumental compilation released as a 3LP box set by Vox in 1973 with a who's who of the American avant-garde, including Crumb's and Kirchner's outstanding quartets with electric amplification and electronics, with impeccable performances by the Concord String Quartet. With insert.

Great 1974 album on Opus One with six compositions for percussion (and prepared piano), including Cage's Amores and a rare recording of a Bertoncini piece. Never re-issued on either LP or CD. With inserts.

Cage's 1940 piece for percussion and his 1941 collaboration with Harrison plus two compositions for percussion from the 1970's and 80's, performed by The New Music Consort and released by New World Records in 1985.

Cage's 1943 composition for percussion and prepared piano, plus Harrison's 1939 and Jolivet's 1965 compositions fol flute and percussion, performed by the Swedish ensemble and released by BIS in 1984.

Cage's 1941 piece for unusual percussion plus three other minimalist works for percussion from the 1970's and 80's, performed by The Danish Percussion Group and released by Point in 1985.

Cage's mid-1940's "exquisite corpses" pieces in collaboration with Cowell, Harrison and Thompson, plus Ussachevsky's 1981 electronic valve instrument composition and two 1960's compositions by Harrison and Smit, performed by The Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lukas Foss abd released by Gramavision in 1983.

1968 re-issue on Odyssey's "Music Of Our Time" avant-garde music series produced by David Behrman of the 1959 LP New Directions In Music 2 with historical recordings of the composers' early pieces from the 1950's performed by David Tudor and the composer himseld among others.

Two breathtakingly beautiful meditative copmpositions for small ensemble from the late 1960's and early 70's, performed by David Tudor and Karen Phillips among others, and released by CRI in 1971. Essential.

Two breathtakingly beautiful meditative copmpositions for small ensemble from the late 1960's and early 70's, performed by David Tudor and Karen Phillips among others, and released by CRI in 1971. Essential.